The dog that didn’t bark

The state’s news media ended the 1996 election cycle with egg encrusted on our faces, as two members of Congress pronounced “defeated” by The Associated Press came back to life.

Reps. Linda Smith and Jack Metcalf, R-Wash., had been depicted by P-I cartoonist David Horsey going down on a sinking ship.

Thanks to Republicans’ last minute get-out-the-vote drives, however, they emerged from Dave Jones Locker and went back to Washington, D.C.

Democrats learned a painful lesson by neglecting far-north Whatcom County and Oregon-bordering Clark County. They came back with a major effort in 2000: Provisional ballots cast by Western Washington University students helped put Maria Cantwell into the U.S. Senate.

What goes around comes around.

In 2008, several Republican candidates have come from behind – or cemented victories – with the count of late-arriving mail-end ballots.

Of course, reporters – yours truly included – went gaga over the Obama campaign’s massive nationwide “ground game.” The Dems stressed early voting and early mailing in of ballots.

The results: The Democrats’ presidential ticket did O.K. in such usually Republican areas.

The Republicans blew no horns over their election eve “72-hour” drive, a turnout effort masterminded by presidential strategist Karl Rove in the 2004 campaign.

Still, as a Democratic tide swept the country, down ballot Republicans here did very well among those who voted late.

The obvious example is U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert. Of course, the brouhaha over Darcy Burner’s educational credentials helped, but the current count puts Reichert nearly 18,000 votes ahead.

In the 2nd legislative district (mainly Pierce County) Republican Randi Becker is almost 1,900 votes ahead of Democratic state Sen. Marilyn Rasmussen – a rare defeat for an incumbent Democrat.

Similarly, GOP hopeful Mike Hope has expanded his lead over Democrat Liz Loomis in the 44th District (Snohomish County), while Republican Steve Litzow has gained on Democrat Marcie Maxwell in the 41st District (King County-East Side). Maxwell is still ahead by 235 votes.

Up in the 10th District (Island, Snohomish, Skagit Counties), GOP Rep. Norma Smith trailed her Democratic opponent Tim Knue in the early count. She has now moved ahead by 450 votes, although numerous votes are yet to be counted.

The results don’t threaten top heavy Democratic control of the Legislature. Still, the “GOP Party” has shown it can still snatch away a few late-breaking races.